Delete a buffer without closing the window
http://vim.wikia.com/wiki/Deleting_a_buffer_without_closing_the_window
The :Bclosecommand deletes a buffer without changing the window layout. For each window where the buffer is currently displayed:
*Show the alternate buffer (:buffer #), if any.
*Otherwise, show the previous buffer (:bprevious), if any.
*Otherwise, show an empty buffer.
;:Bclose
:Close buffer in current window.
;:Bclose ''N''
:Close buffer number ''N'' (as shown by :ls).
;:Bclose ''Name''
:Close buffer named ''Name'' (as shown by :ls).
Assuming the default backslash leader key, you can also press \bd to close (delete) the buffer in the current window (same as :Bclose).
Like the :bdelete command, :Bclose will fail if the buffer has been modified. You can append ! to discard all changes (for example, :Bclose! will delete the buffer in the current window; any changes to the buffer are lost).
By default, :Bclose will close a buffer even if it is displayed in multiple windows (the windows are not closed). Put the following in your [[vimrc]] if you would prefer that a buffer is not closed if it is displayed more than once:
:let bclose_multiple = 0